Thursday, January 01, 2009

We all heard the reassuring words of our PM who said yesterday there will be help for those in need in 2009. Coming from someone who said that the GST hike was meant to help the poor we all know what to expect in times of trouble. In fact the 1st gift from the PAP has arrived today. It is a gift for the most needy Singaporeans - those who are sick. Today means testing will be implemented at all govt hospitals.

I have pointed out that it is interesting how the govt can means test you without taking into consideration what your final medical bill is. If you examine the means testing criteria it is based on income OR housing. So if you lost your income due to retrenchments, they can disqualify you from affordable care because of where you stay. Just to get an idea what medical bills are like these days, you just have to look at the case of the pregnant maid who had a pre-matured baby who was treated in one of our govt hospitals - the total bill was $67,000 for a 27 day stay at hospital. Well, you might think that for Singaporeans the medical insurance takes care of that....that is a misconception. Our system does not take care of newborns with congenital health problems or are simply born pre-mature. A baby born 2-3 months pre-mature can result in a bill of $100K-250K and this is not covered by insurance. But this is one of the cracks in our system - insurance with its payment limits, types of treatment etc will mean more people falling through the cracks. Also, many people will be uninsured because they are too old, have pre-existing conditions, have no income etc. Just look at what happened to the US system which was based on insurance.

What has been driving up medical costs? Last year hundreds of thousands of foreigners came to Singapore for medical treatment because Singapore has been marketed as a medical hub to the rich in the Middle East and around the region. That strained our capacity and drove the cost of medical care up. The PAP's solution of this problem is to make Singaporeans pay more when they are sick.

So this is the 1st gift from the PAP govt in 2009 and it is to those who will get sick in 2009. How's that for a great compassionate start to 2009....

31 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I am an insurance agent and have been trying to get the people i know to at least insure themselves with my company's medishield.

I've tried to explain to them that in the short term, official policies are unlikely to change and that getting a shield is the lesser of 2 evils, as compared to a huge bill in the event of hospitalisation.

While some have taken my advice, many remain oblivious to the spiralling medical costs and instead baulk at insurance costs.

I'm not a staunch supporter of the current medical system in Sg but I sincerely hope the general public can be educated about the need to get some basic and affordable insurance coverage.

Happy New year to you PM Lee and your merry men!Mean testing has failed in countries where it has been implemented earlier. It's now considered obsolete.Don't understand why our "smart Alex" khaw would want it for singapore.Guess it's his 1st gift to the govt.and PAP...to score a point above his other million$$$ colleagues!

Thank you PAP for this very thoughtful gift of means testing. I've always believed that all your policies are for the good of Singaporeans and means testing is no exception. It is to force Singaporeans to take care of our health. And you know that we understand the language of $$$ best. I am so grateful to you for your tough love. And I will express my gratitude to you at the next election, whenever it may be, and if I'm given the chance to vote.

I remember in 2006 election, when the idea of means testing first floated and kena whacked by all, Khaw then dropped the idea and said something to the effect that there is no urgent need for means testing. Now into mid term before the next election, PAP thought it is now time to do so, and when 2011 election comes, people will forget about the pain.

I remember Steve Chia was argueing against the water tax levied on fresh water consumed, instead since it being a resource that no one can do without, capped it with an allowance, for e.g. like income tax bracketing.

i am just wondering when these "brilliant" people will concede to the fact that they did worse damages( in terms of scale) to people's lives than all the pimps assembled.

someone should calculate the nett effects of misguided vision on a global level. the social costs/crimes/wars generated as a result of wealth creation by these elites is far far greater than all the crimes committed by people they put to the gallows.

These blood sucking elites will continue to suck out even the last drop of blood from those old and sick singaporeans. Just imagine if one is old and unable to pay up the premiums for their medishield coverage anymore, then what should they do then when they fall sick? Are these old folks supposed to commit suicide or just leave them to die on their own? This is what can happen to a country and its people when it is governed by a bunch of those greedy and heartless people.